This resolution of Daily United Prayer is based on An Humble Attempt, originally put forward by Jonathan Edwards in 1748. Its design is to encourage God's people in the duty of united extraordinary prayer; setting aside some time every day to pray for the revival of His church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom in our homes, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world.
I received an encouraging excerpt from one of Spurgeon's sermons this week that I would like to share in this email. It is interesting because Spurgeon makes reference to a united prayer group, similar to our own.
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The exercise allotted to us today and tomorrow is that of praying in the Spirit. Brothers and Sisters, it is delightful to some of us to believe that the Spirit of God is the Author of the great wave of prayer now breaking over the Churches to which we belong. It was not of our devising or planning, but it was the motion of God’s Holy Spirit upon a few Brethren who desired to spend a day in solemn prayer and found such blessing in it that they could not but tell others of it! That, then, others spontaneously moved, and without a word of opposition or difference of opinion all said, “Amen. Let us also meet together for prayer.” The spirit of brotherly kindness, unanimity, and love was given to our denomination, and then a spirit of earnest desire to bring down a blessing from God. We have known the time when it was not so. We have known the time when a day of fasting and prayer, if not despised, at any rate would not have been appreciated as it will be now. We are of one heart in this matter and I know from communications with many Christian men that many of God’s people already feel as if they were peculiarly in prayer–as if it were no effort now to pray, but as if it were their very breath now to breathe out longing desires for the revival of saints and the ingathering of sinners.
Brothers and Sisters of this Church, you have had God’s Presence. For many years you have been favored with much of “praying in the Holy Spirit,” and seen with your own eyes the great things God has done in answer to supplication. Will one of you draw back now? Will there be one man today or tomorrow who will not be earnest in prayer? Will one man, or even one child in union with this Church, be lukewarm in prayer? I would say, Sin not against the Lord by abstaining from going up to the Mercy Seat with your Brothers and Sisters. Offend not the Lord so that He deprive you of the blessing because you deprive yourself of joining in the exercise.
My dear Friends, it was when they were all met together with one accord in one place that suddenly they heard the sound as of a rushing, mighty wind. We cannot be all in one place, but, at any rate, let us be all with one accord. What? Do you say you have nothing to pray for? What? No children unconverted, no friends unsaved, no neighbors who are still in darkness? What? Live in London and not pray for sinners? Where do you live? Is it in some vast wilderness, amidst “some boundless contiguity of shade,” where rumor of sin and of ignorance has never reached your ear? No, you are living in the midst of millions of ungodly millions! Millions that despise the God who made them! Millions that despise the Gospel of Christ! Millions, not thousands! Hear that word and see if you can tell its meaning! Millions who are living without God and without hope, and are going down to Hell! . . .
Brothers and Sisters, if you love Christ, if you ever felt His love shed abroad in your heart. If you have been washed in His blood. If you have been saved from wrath through Him. If you are new creatures in Him. If you hope to see His face with acceptance at the last, I might put it to you as a demand! But I press it upon you as a brotherly entreaty–join with us in praying in the Holy Spirit! Shall one start back? Take heed, then, if you refuse to unite with your Brethren in prayer, lest when you choose to cry you should find yourself straitened and shut up in prison! Beware, lest by refusing to pray now, that the Spirit of God has come, you afterwards feel yourself deprived of the comfortable Presence of the Holy Spirit and find the sweetness of devotion to have departed from you.
The Lord send a blessing. He must send it–our hearts will break if He does not! We feel that it is coming. We have grasped the promise. We have pleaded with Jehovah! We have pleaded the blood of Jesus! We are pleading it now! We mean to continue in such pleading till the blessing comes, and we may rely upon it that the heavenly shower will soon descend! He has not said to the seed of Jacob, “Seek you My face in vain.” Brothers and Sisters, be hopeful, and let us unanimously join in praying in the Holy Spirit! May the Lord bless you, dear Friends, in this respect for Jesus' sake.
DAILY UNITED PRAYER unitedprayer.net
Mon-Fri @ 12pm EDT // Sat @ 10am EDT
We invite you to join our dedicated and earnest group of praying participants of all ages from around the world that meet every day over Zoom to pray. At the start of each prayer call, a different individual will bring a brief Scriptural meditation. Here's the most recent:
